Lowell and Behold!
I’ve always liked Mike Lowell. I said it back when the Sox picked him up in the trade for Josh Beckett, and I’ll say it again; this is a ball player, folks. Lowell embodies all of the old school style, class, and skills that are, sadly, a dying art in today’s MLB. Sure, the buzzards were circling overhead last season, but the guy was injured and still managed to win a gold glove (despite the fact that he was hitting like…well…Alex Gonzalez). Fans were up in arms about “eating” Lowell’s relatively hefty contract (just over $9 mil a year for ’06 and ’07), skeptics were looking for potential trade partners, while others were ready to swap this guy for a bag of balls. However, here we are in the middle of May, and guess who’s been our most productive hitter? Guess who leads baseball in both doubles and extra base hits? Guess who is third on the team in home runs?
That’s right, people. You can push your carts back into their stables, ‘cause no one’s bringing out the dead this season. Mike Lowell is back, playing the flawless third base he’s know for, and swinging a swing that’s as sweet as honeysuckle on a July morn’.
And it’s not just Lowell who’s beating projections this season. Let us not forget the dynamic Kevin Youkilis, who has made Johnny Damon look like…well…Alex Gonzalez in his leadoff role. And what about Wily Mo Pena? A few weeks back, we were all ready to firebomb Red Sox HQ after “giving away” Bronson Arroyo for this unproven player. Here we are now, watching Wily Mo play a smooth-as-silk centerfield (seriously, has there ever been a guy that big in that position before?), hitting the cover off of the ball, and, perhaps most importantly, making pitchers work to get him out.
It’s been an odd first couple of months, as, with the exception of Youkilis, it’s been the bottom of the order who have been scoring all of the runs for this year’s model Red Sox. Papi’s in a funk, ‘Tek’s hurting, and Mark Loretta, until recently, was looking like…err…Alex Gonzalez. The good news is, Loretta has driven up his batting average over seventy points in a week and a half, Manny seems to have hit his usual stride (and much earlier than last year), and the steady Nixon, Lowell, Pena, and, of course, Youkilis, have been nothing short of spectacular.
Now, what happens when Papi finds his swing again, and ‘Tek “captains up”? What can we expect when Coco Crisp is back, pushing the potent Youk down in the order, bolstering an already awesome bottom end (save for…err…Alex Gonzalez)? One almost hates to mess with the success, especially when Crisp’s return will mean less playing time for Wily Mo.
Then again, Willy Mo should see at least one at bat per game.
Pinch hitting for…err…Alex Gonzalez.
